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The Verstappen Racing #3 Mercedes progressed safely from Top Qualifying 1 to Top Qualifying 2 at the Nürburgring 24 Hours on Friday, with Lucas Auer setting an 8:14.871 to confirm its place in the next stage.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said the team used a deep data analysis after the Japanese Grand Prix and the five-week break to put its car into a more consistent operating window for the drivers. Mekies said: "After Suzuka on Sunday night, we said to each other, look, regardless of our performance deficit overall in terms of development, compared to where we were late last year, regardless of that, we do not give, at the moment, a consistent car to our drivers, a car they can push with confidence, lap to lap, corner to corner. That was most of the work that has been done in this five weeks' break."
Fernando Alonso says becoming a father has changed how he looks at life and will play a part in his decision on whether to continue racing, with the Spaniard in the final season of his current Aston Martin contract. Alonso said: "I have some thoughts, I cannot lie. It does change the way you see life. I have to say that it is going in the other direction. I want to race so he sees me racing. But until he is aware of things, maybe it's a couple of years and I don't want to race four or five years again!"
RacingNews365 reports Alpine is set to sign Jason Somerville following his exit from the FIA, with an announcement expected in the near future and possibly as early as this week. Somerville confirmed on LinkedIn that May 14 was his final day at F1’s governing body, where he spent the last four years as head of aerodynamics.
2009 world champion Jenson Button says Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton still have insecurities, pointing to moments when Hamilton has questioned himself on the radio during his time at Ferrari. Button said: "As drivers, we're flawed. We are insecure, and that will go for any driver. When I hear Lewis Hamilton on the radio last year at Ferrari, when he asks a question, and they don't come back to him, he's like, 'Have I done something wrong?' It's like, you're a seven-time world champion. The confidence you should have is out of this world. But insecurities creep in. Yes, I still think there's an insecurity there [for Verstappen]."
Charles Leclerc says he disagrees with criticism of the F1 2026 rules, insisting overtaking has been “really good” and that the racing is simply “a bit more strategic” because of how drivers use the energy recovery system. Leclerc said: "I have always disagreed with that. I know I'm a bit of an outlier on the grid, but I felt that, at least for the fights I've had with the guys in front, when you've got cars that have a system, and that use the system in a similar way to yours, actually, the overtaking is really good. It's a bit more strategic than last year."
Nico Hulkenberg says Formula 1 has to “go with the times” on its 2026 regulations and that anyone criticising the current racing can simply choose not to watch, after the Miami Grand Prix introduced “enhancements” aimed at addressing concerns over battery management and closing speeds. Nico Hulkenberg said: "F1 is about leading in technology, and you have to go with the times. I think when you look at the racing now, the first three races we've had [in 2026], it's been entertaining. It's been good to watch with plenty of on-track action. And I mean, if you don't like it, you don't have to watch."
Valtteri Bottas says the FBI opened an investigation after his Cadillac Escalade was stolen from the driveway of the Airbnb he was staying at in Fort Lauderdale during the Miami Grand Prix weekend. Bottas said: "I woke up Saturday morning. I was in the shower about 15 minutes before leaving for the track. And then Paul Harris, who also stayed in the Airbnb, is calling me… He was like, 'Well, the car is gone.'… The Escalade has vanished. Keys are still inside on the table… So, our car got stolen from the driveway of our Airbnb… FBI got involved. Full investigation."
Haas driver Oliver Bearman said Formula 1 drivers would support a return to V8 or V10-style engines in the next set of technical regulations if the sport can keep using sustainable fuel. Bearman said: "If there's a way to run this sustainable fuel and just have a normal engine, V8, V10, whatever it may be, I think all of us will be in favour of that. Let's see. I love the way that they're pioneering making steps forward all the time. But of course, the driver in me and the petrol head would love to have those great-sounding engines and great-performing engines, that's for sure."
Zak Brown has written a six-page letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem calling for Formula 1 to phase out team alliances and co-ownership, arguing that the sport’s current financial health means such structures are no longer necessary and disadvantage independent teams. In the letter, seen by The Race, the McLaren CEO said: “We need to eliminate any further alliances, whether through ownership, strategic participation or any other equivalent form of control or influence, and we need to work together quickly to start the process of unwinding those already established to ensure that the future integrity of the sport is not compromised.”
Williams team principal James Vowles says the team should be in a position to score points consistently after the summer break in August, based on the development work planned through that period. Vowles said: "What I know is the pipeline of work that we have all the way to, and just slightly beyond, the August break, that at the end of all of that should put us in this comfortable position where we're just consistently scoring points every weekend from then onwards. Until that point, I think we should be able to get closer and closer to a perfect weekend achieving a point score, but not necessarily being the fifth fastest team."
Pierre Gasly says Alpine’s step to fighting for fifth in the constructors’ championship has made this season “so much more enjoyable” after the team finished bottom of the standings in 2025. Gasly said: "[This year is] so much more enjoyable. It's difficult to describe. Obviously, that's what got me through last year in a way, and pushed me through the season, knowing that on paper we definitely had more exciting and much more potential coming in 2026. But you don't find the same enjoyment putting good laps in and being in 15th or the middle of the pack, not fighting for points."
Max Verstappen set the early pace on his Nürburgring 24 Hours qualifying practice debut but ended the opening session third.
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown says the team’s turnaround from the difficult period it faced when he arrived was driven by getting the right people, leadership and culture in place. Zak Brown said: "It's all about people. When I started, the team had definitely gone through tough times. We were ninth in the championship, we didn't have many partners. Our fans were disgruntled, [there were] politics inside the racing team. What was great was our brand - you can't take away the history and the heritage. So I actually felt 'this is very fixable'. We've got great people in the team, that just needed some leadership, guidance, teamwork and transparency."
Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer says Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur would struggle to manage a serious intra-team title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Palmer said: "There's a bit of ego there as well, there's ego in everyone. You've got to not be accepting second place, you've got to be thinking, 'I'm the best, this is my title'. Leclerc and Hamilton, you've got a guy that's won seven, you've got a generational talent that hasn't yet won one. I don't think there's a way that Fred could manage it, if they're even on pace and they have the best car like that."
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